A Light in the Darkest of Nights
by Dagger Asheara
Summary: a Morrowind fic -.^ pg for violence. An unlikely friendship between a Dunmer and a Khajiit strengthens as their destiny is revealed to them.


Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Morrowind or any of the cities, races, creatures, or classes mentioned in this story. But the characters are COMPLETELY original, and I have the right to own them.  
  
A Light in the Darkest of Nights  
  
__________________  
  
Part One   
  
_____________  
  
And so it begins  
  
"Ah, this is the life," a young Dunmer, what is known to most as a dark elf, smiled to himself, downing a glass of wine.  
  
He put the crystal goblet down and laid back in the grass, his black hair spreading out like a squid. He stared up at the light blue sky and yawned. It had been a while since he had ever been able to be so laid back as this. His time had been filled up with traveling, cleansing the land, and almost dieing himself a few times. His thoughts, however, were interrupted by a harsh whistle,  
  
" Dagger! Get up you lazy fool! You've been lying their all the day just wasting away when you promised to take Reian out into the Bitter Coast to find some nice Slaughterfish to cook for Reian's dinner!"  
  
"I told you Reian!" Dagger arose slowly and glared at the lanky Khajiit, a creature that resembles a tiger walking on two feet, "Not until tonight!"  
  
The tiger-man whined, rubbing his ears. He had a striped coat that resembled a jaguar, but his head was slightly spotted like a cheetah. Reian hung his head and turned to walk away.  
  
"Fine. I'll get you something to munch on at the South Wall Tavern." Dagger huffed, walking after the Khajiit.  
  
Reian smiled and licked his lips. He could do with some munchies. He nodded towards Dagger and leaped into the city of Balmora, a highly populated city surrounded by marble walls, jumping from rooftop to rooftop. Dagger walked at his normal pace, looking around at the city. Although Balmora was known for its wealth, it certainly didn't show it. The buildings were plain and made of stone, the streets were mainly dirt, and only the guards and mages wore anything above the peasant's attire. Dagger looked down at himself. He was dressed in a royal shirt, Orcish chain mail (much to Reian's dislike.), steel boots, and royal pants. He didn't fancy shoes or hats, they seemed to irritate his skin.  
  
"Is the slow elf coming?" Reian asked from the roof of the corner club known as South Wall.  
  
Dagger frowned and walked on. He entered the tavern and nodded at the imperial guard standing at the doorway. The Imperials didn't like Dagger too much. He had been brought to Morrowind under their custody for something he did back in the Dunmer homeland of Irrigel. Dagger led Reian to an empty table and told him to wait there. The elf went to the bartender and asked for some arrigol (fish soaked in wine).   
  
"It will be with you shortly," the stout man replied.  
  
Dagger nodded a word of thanks and returned to his friend.  
  
"Hasn't it been a while since you had a mission request?" Reian asked.  
  
"Yes, I know. And I'm hurting because of it. Soon I'm going to have to start 'borrowing' money from the temple again."  
  
The Temple of Balmora was a circular building at the north end of the city. The building was made out of silver, and it was occupied by the some of the greatest healers on all of Morrowind. And they cared greatly for the citizens of Balmora greatly. Yet this care made them a bit…..blind. The priests would hand out money to anyone, even Orcs and the slimy frog-like Argonians. Dagger sometimes took advantage of this whenever he was in a tight spot, which seemed to start happening more and more often.  
  
"Order up!" the bartender called.  
  
"I'll get it," Dagger said.  
  
As he got up, the door to the tavern burst open, revealing a cloaked figure. It walked in, the red eyes within the hood searching the room. He walked up to Dagger and stared at him. He spoke in a wispy voice that seemed centuries old,  
  
"Beith thou the famed Witch Hunter?"  
  
Dagger gulped but managed to reply, "Well, I wouldn't call myself famed-"  
  
"Are ye the one, Dagger…….Asheara?" the man interrupted Dagger and grasped his collarbone with a obsidian gauntlet.   
  
Dagger nodded and took the man's hand off of him.  
  
"Do you have need of my service?"   
  
A growl emitted from the man's throat. He pounced upon Dagger, knocking him to the ground. He reached inside his cloak drawing a knife. Reian looked up from the table, his eyes narrow. He jumped forward, slamming into the cloaked man, getting him off of his friend.  
  
"Reian doesn't like you very much," the Khajiit growled.  
  
The man ran slashed at the tiger, but Reian evaded easily and kicked his attacker in the stomach.  
  
"I've had enough of this," the man snarled.  
  
With a flash, he was back on Dagger, knife raised. He jabbed it down into Dagger's chest, right above his heart. Dagger yelled out in pain and grasped a hand over the wound. The man smiled and stood up. With a wave of his hand he disappeared with a flash of black light. Reian ran to Dagger's side.  
  
"Reian has to get you to the Temple,"  
  
The Khajiit picked him up and pounced out the door. He ran towards the temple, only to be stopped by a guard.  
  
"He's been stabbed by a mad-man," Reian said, "Must get him to Temple!"  
  
The guard nodded and stepped out of his way. Reian began running again, hoping it wasn't too late…..  
  
* * * *  
  
Inside the temple, a young girl was pacing, fingering her chocolate brown curls of hair. Her face was young, no more than eighteen years at the most upon it. She was worried by something.  
  
"Kyaray, please stop pacing, its getting on my nerves!" an older healer yelled.  
  
Kyaray sighed and collapsed in a chair. She looked up to see a Khajiit burst through the entrance, carrying what appeared to be a Dark Elf.  
  
"Good heavens!" the old one cried, "What happened to him?"  
  
The Khajiit replied, worried, "Attacked by a raging idiot. Stabbed 'im through!"  
  
Kyaray hurried over to the tiger. Sure enough, there was a stab wound right above the elf's heart. It was bleeding badly. She ushered the two over to a table and sat the wounded upon it.  
  
"Goren, get me some violet caprice will you? I need to stop the bleeding, if its not already too late."  
  
Kyaray took the goopy-green mushroom salve and applied it to the wound. . The Dunmer cried out but held steady. The young healer placed her hands over the wound, whispering a prayer to the Almighty. As she spoke, a gentle indigo light spread around her fingers. After a few moments, she took her hands off. The wound had closed, but there was fine red and black line where it used to be.  
  
"A cursed dagger," she muttered.  
  
"Aye?" the Khajiit asked.  
  
"He was stabbed by a cursed dagger. The people of the north use them. You know, the necromancers and their kin. But why would one be here?"  
  
The Dunmer's red eyes opened. He looked around and sat up. He gritted his teeth and winced, grabbing the closed wound.  
  
"What be going on here?" he asked, glaring at the healer.  
  
"Yee were attacked remember? Reian brought you to healers," the Khajiit said.  
  
  
  
* * * *  
  
Dagger nodded, suddenly remembering. The cloaked man. He must have been Dunmer……but why would he attack his own clan?  
  
"This 'ere priestess says you were attacked by a necro," Reian added.  
  
"Well, I don't know for sure. But it most likely was. Only one of them would have the power to conjure one of those daggers." the young girl replied, fingering one of her brown curls.  
  
Dagger swung his legs over the table and stood. The room was dim, but he could see just as well as in pure daylight. The Dunmer stared over at a darkened corner. Something was there, he could sense it, standing there.  
  
"Reian, cover the girl. I don't think we're alone," he muttered quietly to his friend.  
  
Reian nodded and told the girl to stay behind him. Dagger drew his sword and walked towards the corner.  
  
"Haven't you had enough?" he asked to whatever lied there, "I know you're there."  
  
A soft cackle came from the corner, and in a flash, a giant beast leapt from the darkness and had Dagger pinned against a wall.  
  
* * * *  
  
Kyaray let out a scream. The beast resembled a wolf, but with blue hair and was a lot bigger. The Khajiit protecting her snarled, and pounced on the wolf, dragging it off the Dark Elf. A group of healers ran into the room, only to run out of the temple. Kyaray drew her tanto and readied to protect herself.  
  
"What are you doing girl?" the one named Reian yelled from atop the beast, "Help him!"  
  
Kyaray gulped and nodded, running over to the Dunmer.   
  
"I'm fine," he muttered as she came near.  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Yes! Go…….help Reian."  
  
Kyaray looked over at the Nix Hound and at the Khajiit. Reian really didn't need her help. Behind her, Dagger got up and picked up his silver long sword. He ran towards the dog and swung, knocking its head from its shoulders. Blood spurted from the severed neck, spraying everyone and everything in the room. The body fell to the ground and both warriors breathed a sigh of relief.  
  
"Can….we….um….go catch some fish for Reian?" Reian asked, wringing his hands.  
  
Dagger smiled and nodded. He turned to Kyaray,  
  
"Wanna come?"  
  
"Sure," she smiled back at him, "But first let's get some clean clothes on!"  
  
The next day was anything but relaxing. The whole city guard were breaking into houses looking for the attacker at the corner club. The temple was being searched by the Imperials from the nearby Moonmoth Fort. Kyaray, the high priestess, was thoroughly vexed by it all. Her newly made friends, Dagger and Reian, had left the town that night. They were headed to the city of Vivec to slay some witch who had cursed the town. Kyaray had considered joining them, but decided against it. She had a lot of responsibility at the temple, and leaving would give it a bad name. She sighed, having nothing to do.  
  
"Get of your bottom young lady! I have chores for you!" the old one, Baly, yelled from the shadowed doorway.  
  
Kyaray groaned, rolling off her mat. The older priestess was always giving her chores. Oh well, it couldn't be helped. Being respectful to one's elders was an important thing in Balmorian moral culture.  
  
"What do you want me to do?" Kyaray asked, following Baly out into one of the kitchens.   
  
"The guards are coming over to our sector of the temple (the temple encircles the whole city, the one Kyaray is in is the actual temple part) and I want them to be welcomed accordingly," the old woman muttered as she hobbled to the cupboards, grabbing various cooking utensils  
  
"They've shut down this entire district! What is so nice about that that they need to be welcomed?!" Kyaray lost her temper, storming out of the room.  
  
The old Breton sighed, "I know dear, but it's the only thing we can do,"  
  
  
  
* * * *  
  
Dagger grunted as he climbed the steep hill. Reian seemed to having no problem, he was leaping up the hill as if it was flat ground.  
  
"Come on Dagger, Vivec be right over this 'ere hill"  
  
With a sigh, the Dunmer climbed on. As he reached the top, he was awestruck. Vivec was a city made from gold, and its buildings were neatly stacked atop each other. Since it was on a sea, bridges led from one district of the city to another. Everyone was dressed in gleaming robes, the marks of Vivec snaking up the lining.  
  
"People here are rich," Reian whispered over to Dagger, "We could charge them a heavy price for this, no?"  
  
"Aye, that we could Reian, that we could….."  
  
  
  
End of Part One 


End file.
